John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Tennessee, who is managing this bill. I know they are trying to find a way forward, and I hope that will include getting some votes on amendments, including this one. I think this is a very reasonable amendment and one that certainly fits within what we are trying to accomplish here. The Senate is in the midst of an important debate. This week we began a discussion on the role of Congress in approving or disapproving a nuclear agreement with Iran. Any agreement we reach with Iran must ensure one thing, and that is that Iran will never be able to acquire a nuclear weapon. That should be everything that this discussion is about. A nuclear-armed Iran would threaten the safety, stability, and security of the entire world. It would also pose a direct threat to the United States and to our allies in the region. Given the stakes of this debate, it is critical that Congress have a role in reviewing any agreement so that the American people's voices can be heard. That is really what this is all about--giving the American people a voice on something that is of critical importance to America's national security. I thank the chairman and the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for forging together a bipartisan path forward to allow for such a congressional review. While I support the underlying bill and appreciate the work of our bill managers, I do believe the bill could be significantly strengthened, and the amendment I am introducing today will help to do that. My amendment, No. 1180, is one way that the Senate can strengthen the underlying bill. This amendment will require the Secretary of State to verify whether the International Atomic Energy Agency, or the IAEA, which would be in charge of inspections in Iran under any agreement, would have access to Iranian military bases. There have been recent reports that have indicated that the Iranian military is hostile to any inspection of military facilities. General Hossein Salami, the deputy head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, recently told Iranian media: ``They [the inspectors] will not be permitted to inspect the most normal military site in their dreams.'' Again, that statement was made by General Hossein Salami, who is the deputy head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. If the administration enters into an agreement that doesn't guarantee the inspection of Iranian military sites, the American people and our allies in the region will have very little reason to believe that Iran will comply with any agreement. Without such an agreement, Iran can conduct research on nuclear weapons systems on military bases outside the reach of international inspectors. That is not an acceptable scenario. We must ensure that any deal with Iran is verifiable, enforceable, accountable, and promotes security and stability in the region and around the world. That goal is hard to achieve without a robust inspections regime that allows for international inspections of Iran's military sites. Accordingly, I encourage my colleagues to support my amendment, which will help ensure that Iran cannot circumvent an agreement conducting research on nuclear weapons systems at military facilities. A nuclear- armed Iran is a threat to the safety, security, and stability of the entire planet. I hope that when an agreement about how to proceed with regard to amendments is reached, this amendment will be included among those amendments that will be debated and voted upon, because I do think it will strengthen the underlying agreement. I certainly look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides, not only to get this amendment adopted but also to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. That is first, foremost, and what this always needs to be about. With that, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, on April 2, President Obama announced that a framework had been reached for a nuclear agreement with Iran. If all goes according to plan--which hasn't happened often during these repeatedly prolonged negotiations--it means the White House would finish negotiating an agreement sometime in June. But the question remains as to what type of agreement the negotiations will finally produce. Any deal with Iran needs to achieve one thing--one thing--and that is to prevent permanently Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. But the framework the President has unveiled seems unlikely to achieve that goal. Far from eliminating Iran's nuclear capabilities, the framework does not shut down a single nuclear facility in the country. It doesn't destroy a single centrifuge. It doesn't stop research and development on existing centrifuges. It doesn't eliminate Iran's missile development programs. And it allows Iran to keep a substantial part of its existing stockpile of enriched uranium. It is no surprise that Members of both parties are deeply concerned the final agreement will not be effective in preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. I don't need to tell anyone why Iran's possessing a nuclear weapon is such a dangerous prospect. First of all, Iran, as we all know, is a state sponsor of terrorism. Practically speaking, that means Iran provides support and funding to organizations that consider the slaughter of innocent civilians to be an acceptable negotiating tactic, which has kept millions of ordinary men, women, and children in the Middle East from living in stability and peace. Iran's plan for the Middle East includes its stated goal of wiping our ally Israel off the map, which should tell us all we need to know about that country's commitment to peace in the region. Meanwhile, at home, Iran embraces the same violence and oppression it spreads abroad. Iran's Government is hostile to freedom of any kind. Thousands of Iran's citizens have been tortured, imprisoned, and executed for daring to stand up for their human rights. This is not a regime that can be trusted with a nuclear weapon. In addition to the danger inherent in a regime such as Iran having nuclear weapons at its disposal, Iran's acquiring such a weapon could likely start a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Right now, we are witnessing a quasi-proxy war in Yemen, with Iran supporting the Houthis and a Saudi Arabia-led coalition bombing the Houthis and supporting the ousted government. Imagine this scenario if both major powers had nuclear weapons at their disposal? There is also the other great danger in Iran's acquiring nuclear weapons--a chance it could give a nuclear weapon to a terrorist organization. Imagine a situation in which a nuclear weapon fell into the hands of such organizations. The consequences of that would be unthinkable. This week the Senate is considering the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act negotiated by Senators Corker and Cardin. The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act would ensure that the American people's concerns about a nuclear deal are heard by providing for congressional review of any agreement the President reaches with Iran. Specifically, the bill would require the President to submit the agreement to Congress and prevent him from waiving any congressional sanctions on Iran until Congress reviews the deal. Congress passed sanctions that eventually brought the Iranian economy to its knees and drove the Iranian Government to the negotiating table. The only reason--the only reason--Iran is cooperating at all on a nuclear agreement is because it wants to see those sanctions lifted. This bill would ensure the sanctions could only be lifted after congressional review. The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act would also make sure any agreement with Iran is verified and enforced. Under the terms of this legislation, every 90 days the President would be required to provide Congress with confirmation that Iran is complying with the agreement. The bill also includes reporting requirements on Iran's record on human rights and support for terrorism and any ballistic missile testing it is conducting. I plan to offer an amendment to this legislation to require the Secretary of State to investigate whether the International Atomic Energy Agency, which would be in charge of inspections under any agreement, would have access to military bases if they were deemed to be suspicious sites. Recent reports have indicated that the Iranian military is hostile to any inspection of military bases. General Hussein Salami, deputy head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, told Iranian media, ``They [the inspectors] will not even be permitted to inspect the most normal military site in their dreams.'' Well, given that attitude, are we really supposed to trust Iran to fully comply with a nuclear agreement? While I remain concerned about the framework the President has unveiled, one bright spot in this debate has been seeing Democrats and Republicans working together to ensure that any deal with Iran is verifiable, enforceable, and accountable and promotes security and stability in the region and around the globe. This kind of bipartisanship has been more the norm in the Senate lately. When Republicans were elected last November, we promised we would get Washington working again for American families. That was not a campaign slogan. That was a commitment, and we have been delivering on our promise. Since Republicans took control of the Senate in January, we have passed 13 bipartisan bills: legislation to approve the Keystone Pipeline, a bill to prevent suicides among veterans, reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, legislation to give law enforcement new tools to fight human trafficking and provide support for trafficking victims, and the first significant bipartisan reform of Medicare in years. Even the media is paying attention. On April 26, CBS published an article entitled ``Some Good News Out of Washington, For a Change.'' On April 24, an NPR headline asked: ``Has the Senate Found It's More Fun to be Functional?'' And a USA TODAY headline from April 20 noted: ``New Study Suggests a `Healthier' Congress.'' It argues that we are getting things done again and working again and functioning here in the Senate. The best way to solve the challenges facing our Nation is for Democrats and Republicans to come together and to develop solutions. We have been doing that for the past 4 months here in the Senate, and that is what we are doing on this crucial Iran legislation. A nuclear-armed Iran is a threat to the safety, security, and stability of the globe, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I am pleased to hear of yet another accomplishment that has happened in the Senate since we have gotten things opened up and functioning again. I wish to say that last year when Republicans were running for office, we promised that if we were reelected, we would get Washington working again for American families. That wasn't a campaign slogan; that was a commitment. I am proud to report that after 100 days in office, Republicans are making significant progress. To start, Republicans have the Senate functioning again on a basic level. From an operations standpoint day to day, over the past few years when the Democrats controlled the lawmaking process in the Senate, it largely ground to a halt. Instead of bills being drafted in committee and then brought to the floor for open debate and amendment, bills were crafted behind closed doors. Members in the minority party were shut out of the process, and so were many rank-and-file Democrats. Last year, Democratic leadership allowed a total of 15 amendment votes-- slightly over 1 amendment vote per month in the world's greatest deliberative body, known for unlimited amendment and unlimited debate. Contrast that with the first 100 days under Republican control. In the first 3\1/2\ months of the 114th Congress, the Republican-led Senate has held more than 100 amendment rollcall votes. More than half of those votes have been on Democratic amendments. When you shut one party out of the legislative process in the Senate, you shut out the voices of millions of Americans. Republicans experienced that under Democratic control, and we were determined to make sure things were different this year. Since Republicans took control of the Senate, Members of both parties have had the opportunity to make their voices heard, and we are seeing a lot more bipartisan legislation as a result. In the past 3\1/2\ months, the Republican-led Senate has approved 12 bipartisan bills. We have passed bipartisan legislation to approve the Keystone Pipeline. We have passed a bipartisan bill to prevent suicides among veterans. We have passed a bipartisan reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program and a bipartisan bill to provide restitution for victims of child pornography. Last week, we passed the first significant bipartisan reform of Medicare in years. Mr. President, last week also brought the announcement of a new bipartisan agreement, a bill to reauthorize trade promotion authority. With 96 percent of the world's population and consumers outside the borders of the United States, trade is essential to economic growth. Since 2009, increasing exports have accounted for more than 1.6 million new jobs in the United States. Manufacturing jobs that depend on exports pay on average 13 percent to 18 percent more. U.S. farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers rely on access to foreign markets. In my home State of South Dakota alone, exports support more than 15,000 jobs in industries ranging from farming and ranching to machinery and electronics. Farmers and ranchers in South Dakota, where agriculture is the No. 1 industry, depend on exports for a substantial part of their income. Exports of major South Dakota crops, such as soybeans and corn, have soared over the past few years. In fact, in 2013, total agricultural exports from South Dakota totaled $3.8 billion. Previous free- and fair-trade agreements have been a boon to America's farmers, ranchers, and workers. In 2013, countries with which our Nation has free-trade agreements purchased 12 times more goods per capita from the United States than non-free-trade agreement countries. Since 1934, almost all of the U.S free-trade agreements have been negotiated using trade promotion authority or a similar streamlined process. Trade promotion authority is designed to put the United States in the strongest possible position when negotiating trade agreements. Under TPA, Congress sets guidelines for trade negotiations and outlines the priorities the administration must follow. In return, Congress promises a simple up-or-down vote on the resulting trade agreement instead of a long amendment process that could leave the final deal looking nothing like the original one. That simple up-or- down vote is the key: It lets our negotiating partners know that Congress and trade negotiators are on the same page when it comes to the content of trade agreements, which gives other countries the confidence they need to put their best offers on the table. That, in turn, allows for a successful and timely conclusion of negotiations. Currently, the administration is negotiating two major trade agreements that have the potential to vastly expand the market for American goods and services in the EU and in the Pacific. The Trans-Pacific Partnership is being negotiated with a number of Asia-Pacific nations, including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and currently Vietnam. Currently, American goods face heavy tariffs in many of these countries. Tariffs on consumer goods in Trans- Pacific Partnership countries reach as high as 85 percent, while tariffs on agricultural products range even higher. Poultry tariffs in Trans-Pacific Partnership countries, for example, go up to 240 percent. That is a tremendous burden on American producers. American farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and consumers would all benefit from the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement and the United States-European Union trade agreement. These trade deals remove many of the barriers currently facing U.S. products in these regions, which would allow American goods to compete on a level playing field with their foreign counterparts. Reauthorizing trade promotion authority is essential to bringing these two agreements to a successful and timely conclusion. The bipartisan trade promotion authority bill that was introduced last week by the senior Senators from Utah and Oregon reauthorizes this key tool and includes a number of important updates, such as provisions to strengthen transparency of the negotiating process and ensure that the American people stay informed. It also contains provisions I pushed for to require negotiators to ensure that trade agreements protect digital trade as well as trade in physical goods and services. With the importance of digital trade in the 21st-century economy, it is essential that any new trade promotion reauthorization include new guidelines specifically targeted at digital trade. I previously introduced legislation to help ensure that the free flow of digital goods and services is protected, and I am pleased that the bipartisan deal that was reached includes many of the measures I have advocated. The best way to solve the challenges facing our Nation is for Democrats and Republicans to come together to develop solutions. We have done a lot of that so far in the Republican-led Senate, and I look forward to doing a lot more of it. I hope those Democrats who have opposed trade promotion authority in the past will join the White House and Senate Republicans to pass this important bill for American workers and businesses and make the TPA reauthorization our next bipartisan achievement. Mr. President, I wish to add that we also have a bill that would require Congress to approve any nuclear arms agreement with Iran--also a very big bipartisan bill, as it was reported out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. These are things which can be accomplishments for the American people. It starts with getting the Senate functioning and operating again, where people have the opportunity to come to the floor and debate these issues, to offer amendments, and to get those amendments voted on. That is what our commitment has been in the Senate. I argue-- and I think the record bears this out--that it is making a very consequential difference in terms of the things we are able to get done for the American people. I certainly hope we can continue that pattern. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I am pleased as well to hear that we have an agreement on the human trafficking legislation. It is something that should be above politics. Unfortunately, anything around here, it seems, gets sucked into politics from time to time, but it is important that we get an agreement that will allow us to advance this legislation.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, before I close, I would like to take a moment to talk about what I think is a bright spot for our economy, and that is bipartisan trade promotion authority. Previous free- and fair- trade agreements have been a boon to the economy, expanding opportunities for American workers and giving American farmers, such as many of those I represent in South Dakota, and manufacturers access to new markets for their goods. Nearly every one of those trade agreements was negotiated and enacted using trade promotion authority. The idea behind trade promotion authority is very simple: Congress sets negotiating priorities for the administration and requires the administration to consult with Congress during that negotiating process. In return, Congress promises a simple up-or-down vote on the legislation instead of a lengthy amendment process that could leave the final agreement looking nothing like what was negotiated. That up-or- down vote is the key. That is what gives our trading partners the confidence to put their best offers on the table, which allows for a successful conclusion of negotiations. Trade promotion authority expired in 2007. Republicans have been trying to get it reauthorized ever since. Currently, the administration is negotiating two key trade agreements--the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the United States-European Union trade agreement--that are unlikely to be concluded in the near future unless trade promotion authority is finally renewed. These agreements will expand opportunities for American workers and open new markets for American goods. A bipartisan reauthorization of trade promotion authority will help bring those agreements to a speedy conclusion, and that will be good news for American workers and American businesses. The challenges facing our Nation are best solved when Members of both parties come together to find solutions for the American people. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on trade promotion authority and other issues that will grow our economy, create better paying jobs for American workers, and increase the take-home pay of middle-income families in this country. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, it has been said that April is the cruelest month. I think that pretty much captures how Americans feel as tax day approaches each year. This year, Americans will spend 114 days working to pay their Federal, State, and local taxes. In other words, Americans may have submitted their Federal tax returns or be getting ready to submit them tonight, but they are still not done working off their taxes. In fact, Americans won't start earning a dollar for themselves until April 25, almost one-third of the way through the year. Americans spend 6.1 billion hours every year trying to comply with the Tax Code. That is an average of 19 hours for every man, woman, and child in the United States or an average of 76 hours for a family of four. Almost half of small businesses spend more than $5,000 each year on tax compliance; that is $5,000 on top of their tax bill. Paying taxes is never going to be on the top of Americans' list of favorite activities, but it doesn't have to be the torturous process it has become. The Tax Code takes too much time to comply with, and it takes too much money from hard-working Americans. Comprehensive tax reform is long overdue. Unfortunately, instead of tax reform, under the Obama administration Americans have just gotten more taxes. The President's health care law created or raised taxes to the tune of more than $1 trillion over the first decade. Several of those taxes have hit families making less than $250,000 a year, despite the President's campaign pledge not to raise taxes on families making less than $250,000. Let's take the ObamaCare medical device tax. Thanks to this tax, families are now facing higher prices on lifesaving medical equipment such as pacemakers and insulin pumps. ObamaCare taxes are also driving up prices for families on essential drugs such as EpiPens and asthma medications. Other ObamaCare taxes are costing American families in other ways. The ObamaCare employer mandate tax is discouraging employers from expanding and hiring, which means fewer jobs and opportunities for American workers. Then there is the individual mandate tax that last year began hitting American families without government-approved insurance. For 2015, the individual mandate tax penalty is $325 per person or 2 percent of household income, whichever is greater. In 2016, that tax penalty will rise to $695 per person or 2\1/2\ percent of household income, whichever is greater. But that is not all ObamaCare is bringing to tax season. This year, a full half of Americans receiving ObamaCare health insurance subsidies discovered they have to pay back some or all of their subsidies because they didn't estimate their income correctly. Ultimately, just 4 percent of households receiving subsidies had the correct subsidy advanced to their insurance companies. Unfortunately, the confusion and mistakes are par for the course for ObamaCare. The administration apparently finds the law so confusing that it sent out incorrect ObamaCare forms to more than 800,000 people. Yet the administration wants us to believe ObamaCare is somehow working. We need to repeal this broken law and its trillion dollars' worth of taxes, and we need to reform our bloated Tax Code. We need to cut rates for families so that Americans can spend more of the year working for themselves and less of the year working for the Federal Government. We need to cut rates for businesses, both large and small. The U.S. currently has the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world. That puts American businesses at a huge disadvantage compared to their foreign competitors, and American workers suffer the consequences-- lower wages and fewer opportunities. Reforming both corporate and individual tax rates would go a long way toward making American businesses more competitive and opening new opportunities and higher paying jobs for American workers. Of course, any tax reform measure should include reforms to the IRS. From mishandled customer service to the Agency's most serious offenses--the First Amendment violations involving the deliberate targeting of groups for extra scrutiny based on their political beliefs--this Agency, the IRS, is long overdue for reform. The IRS Commissioner himself, John Koskinen, was quoted in Monday's Washington Post as saying: ``We certainly can't afford to have taxpayer service be any worse than it is, although it is hard to imagine it being much worse than it is.'' That is a quote from the IRS Commissioner himself. When even the IRS Commissioner admits the Agency's taxpayer services can't get much worse, that is a signal the Agency is ripe for reform.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2015, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Reducing Unnecessary Duplication in Federal Programs: Billions More Could Be Saved.''

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services are authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2015, at 9 a.m.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2015, at 9:30 a.m., in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization.''

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2015, at 10 a.m., in room SR-215 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``Creating a More Efficient and Level Playing Field: Audit and Appeals Issues in Medicare.''

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2015, at 2:15 p.m.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2015, at 2:30 p.m., in room SH- 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2015, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Airland of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2015, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Emergency Threats and Capabilities of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2015, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, on April 2, President Obama unveiled a nuclear agreement with Iran. The purpose of the administration's negotiations with Iran was simple: Prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. But the agreement the Obama administration seems to have arrived at cast doubts on whether the administration will be able to achieve that goal. The framework does not shut down a single nuclear facility in Iran. It does not destroy a single centrifuge in Iran. It doesn't stop research and development on Iran's centrifuges. And it allows Iran to keep a substantial part of its existing stockpile of enriched uranium. It is not surprising that Members of both parties are concerned about this agreement. Democrats and Republicans are worried because it appears the administration is not trying to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon but simply trying to manage when Iran will develop one. Again and again during the process Secretary Kerry and the President seemed to forget that the goal of the negotiation was not a deal for its own sake but a deal that would actually stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. American priorities were sacrificed for the sake of getting an agreement. In the process, the administration may have ensured that the deal they finally arrived at is too weak to achieve its goal. The stakes on this one are very high. The deal we are talking about here is not a trade agreement. It is not a land dispute. It is not a negotiation over water rights. It is a question of whether a tyrannical oppressive regime that has backed terrorists and announced its intention of taking the country of Israel off the map should get access to the most apocalyptic weapons known to man. The deal we arrive at in the coming months will shape the Middle East for decades to come, and the cost of failure will be nothing less than a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Imagine for a second what it would be like to have a nuclear-armed Middle East. Right now we are already witnessing a quasi-proxy war in Yemen with Iran supporting the Houthis and a Saudi Arabia-led coalition bombing the Houthis and supporting the ousted government. Imagine that same scenario if both major powers had nuclear weapons at their disposal. Make no mistake, that is the type of situation we could be facing if we fail to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, not to mention the threat that our ally Israel would be facing. Today the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set to mark up a bipartisan Iran bill for consideration by the full Senate. The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 would give Congress 60 days to approve or disapprove any final agreement. This legislation would ensure the American people, through their representatives in Congress, have a voice in any final agreement with Iran. Given the fact the ramifications of this agreement will last well beyond the Obama administration, it is essential the American people have a voice in this process, which makes congressional review indispensable. This bill would also ensure Iran is held accountable for upholding its end of the agreement by requiring the President to evaluate Iran's compliance every 90 days. This legislation has broad bipartisan support, and I believe it will quickly pass the Senate. I am hopeful the President will listen to the concerns the American people have expressed and ensure they are addressed before any final agreement is reached. Every Member of Congress would like to see the President successfully conclude a deal with Iran that would prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, but the President needs to remember that a deal is only acceptable if it achieves that goal. If we can't secure a deal that will prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, then we should step back from the negotiating table and reimpose the sanctions that were so successful in driving Iran to the table in the first place. Anything less than a verifiable, accountable, and enforceable deal with Iran is a failure. One bright spot in this Iran debate has been the bipartisan cooperation I just mentioned that has characterized the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act. This is a trend we are seeing a lot more of in the Republican-led Senate. There was the bipartisan Keystone bill, the bipartisan legislation to prevent suicide among veterans, the bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, the bipartisan legislation to increase penalties for perpetrators and provide restitution for victims of child pornography, and now there is the bipartisan Iran bill. This week we have another bipartisan agreement. Today, Congress will vote to repeal the flawed sustainable growth rate formula that has been used to calculate doctors' Medicare reimbursements since its enactment in 1997. This formula was supposed to control spending, but it never worked effectively. Since 2003, Congress has had to patch the formula regularly to ensure that physicians are paid a reasonable amount for their services. In all, there have been 17 patches or short-term fixes--Band-Aids, if you will--enacted over the last 12 years. The bipartisan solution that is being considered on the Senate Floor today repeals this flawed formula permanently and replaces it with a payment system that focuses on quality, not quantity. It also puts in place the first significant reforms in Medicare in a long time. Without reforms, the Medicare trust fund will be insolvent as soon as 2030, leaving seniors without access to the care they have been promised. The bipartisan agreement we are passing today starts the process of strengthening Medicare and putting it on a more sustainable path going forward so that the current generation of seniors as well as future generations can enjoy the benefits they have been promised. With the return of bipartisanship and regular order we have had here over the first few months of the Republican-led Senate, I am disappointed the Democrats are continuing to obstruct a bill that should be the most obviously bipartisan bill we have taken up all year. The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act would provide law enforcement with additional resources to combat the scourge of human trafficking and increase the resources available to trafficking victims. This bill was cosponsored by 12 Democrats, in addition to 21 Republicans, and it appeared to have strong bipartisan support for passage. In fact, it was reported out of the Judiciary Committee unanimously. Unfortunately, Members of the Democratic Party's most extreme wing decided to fixate on a funding restriction in the bill that has been a routine part of appropriations bills and spending bills around here for decades. The Hyde amendment reflects the sentiments of a majority of Americans. That is the funding restriction that I referred to. The sentiment of a majority of Americans is that the Federal Government shouldn't be using taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions. It has been the consensus view around here literally since 1976. It is unfortunate the leftwing of the Democratic Party has taken the extreme step of holding up relief for victims of human trafficking over language that simply maintains a status quo--the status quo that has been in place around here since 1976. Every year thousands of innocent victims--most frequently women and children--are trafficked within the borders of the United States. Many of these victims are children who are bought and sold to feed the twisted desires of sexual predators. Others are forced into lives of slave labor, compelled to work in the shadows without the protection of the law. Rescuing these innocent victims and ensuring their captors are punished must be a priority. The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act has been endorsed by 200 advocacy groups, including the NAACP, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Rights4Girls, the National Association to Protect Children, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the National Conference of State Legislatures. It provides new tools for law enforcement and new help for trafficking victims. It is time for the Democrats to stop obstructing this legislation and to allow the Senate to pass this bill--a bipartisan achievement and something that is much needed and long overdue. There is a crisis in this country that needs to be addressed. We can do something about it. We ought to do it, and we ought to do it now. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I rise in support of my amendment No. 607, to create a deficit-neutral reserve fund to repeal the Federal estate tax, better known as the death tax. My amendment will put the Senate on record in support of eliminating this destructive and ill-conceived tax on American families in their time of grief. It has often been said but it is worth repeating: A death in the family should not be a taxable event. I agree wholeheartedly with a piece in the newspaper earlier this week by Harry Alford, president of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, who writes that the death tax ``disproportionately hampers minority and women-owned businesses across the country'' and ``creates an unfair situation for minority businesses which have finally started to accumulate wealth within the last 60 years.'' The death tax also hits farmers particularly hard. According to USDA statistics on cropland values, a significant percentage of farms in my State of South Dakota and States such as North Dakota, Montana, Illinois, Indiana, Colorado, Minnesota, Florida, and Missouri remain subject to this double tax even at the higher estate tax exception limit. Incremental relief from this unfair tax is not enough. The time has come for full repeal. I urge support for my amendment.

Mr. THUNE. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I recognize CAPT Andy Blomme, Chief of Congressional Affairs for the U.S. Coast Guard; CDR Daniel Walsh, U.S. Coast Guard Senate Liaison; and LCDR Robert Potter, U.S. Coast Guard Deputy Senate Liaison, for all of the hard work they have done for me, my staff, and other members of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee over the past several years. Captain Blomme graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1985. His illustrious, 30-year career includes nearly 12 years of sea duty and command of three Coast Guard cutters, command of Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, FL, and service as Military Assistant to the Secretary of Homeland Security during the terms of Secretary Chertoff and Secretary Napolitano. Commander Walsh graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1993. His distinguished career includes service aboard U.S. and allied vessels, multiple assignments as a Coast Guard aviator, and service as Military Aide to the President of the United States during the terms of President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama. Commander Walsh will next assume the Coast Guard Service Chair at the National War College in Washington, DC where he will serve as a service representative and instructor. Lieutenant Commander Potter graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1999. His noteworthy career includes 2 years aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, operational assignments at two air stations, and service as an MH-60T flight examiner at the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center in Mobile, AL. Lieutenant Commander Potter will be assigned to U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Diego where he will serve as the sector response chief. I congratulate Captain Blomme and thank him for his selfless and dedicated service to our Nation. I wish him and his family all the best in their future endeavors following his retirement from the Coast Guard this spring. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Commander Walsh and Lieutenant Commander Potter for all of the fine work they have done and for their continued service to our Nation. I wish them further success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, last month President Obama released his fiscal year 2016 budget proposal. Americans could be forgiven for thinking it was created in a vacuum, since the proposal completely ignores our current fiscal reality. Six years ago, when the President took office, our massive debt was already a massive $10.6 trillion. For the past 6 years of the President's administration, our national debt has increased by more than $7.5 trillion, to a dangerously high $18.2 trillion. That kind of debt slows economic growth, threatens government programs such as Social Security and Medicare, and jeopardizes America's future. But apparently the President is not concerned because the President's budget proposal would increase our national debt to a staggering $25 trillion-plus over the next 10 years. Let me repeat that. Over the next 10 years, the President's budget would increase our national debt to more than $25 trillion. Now, I don't need to tell the American people that kind of debt is unsustainable. American families know you can't keep racking up debt indefinitely, and they know the solution to being in debt is not increasing spending. It is too bad nobody in the White House has that same kind of common sense. The President's budget would increase spending by 65 percent over the next 10 years. If a family already in debt tried increasing spending that way, they would very quickly end up bankrupt. They would lose their home, their cars, their credit. Well, the government works the same way. The government may be able to keep up appearances a little longer, but sooner or later unchecked government spending results in financial ruin. It has happened in other countries, and it will happen here if we don't take action. If we keep racking up debt the way we have been going, we are not going to be able to pay for our priorities. Social Security, Medicare, national defense, national security, infrastructure--all these priorities could face huge cuts if we don't get our Nation on a sound fiscal footing. Last week, Senate Republicans introduced a budget blueprint for fiscal year 2016 that would balance the budget in 10 years and put our Nation on a path to fiscal health. Instead of ignoring our Nation's fiscal problems, it promotes spending restraint, it creates a framework for Congress and the President to come together on long-term solutions. While it is not a perfect plan--it doesn't solve every one of our Nation's problems--it gets things moving in the right direction. First, the Senate Republican budget balances. The President's budget never balances--not in 10 years, not in 75 years, not ever. The President may think we can keep spending more than we take in indefinitely, but the fact is we can't. We need to get to a place where balanced budgets--not deficits--are the new normal. Under the Senate Republicans' budget, our Nation would achieve a $3 billion surplus by the year 2025, and our budget encourages honest accounting. For example, our budget would provide for the Congressional Budget Office to score legislation increasing the deficit by $5 billion or more not just over 10 years but over 40 years. Typically, the Congressional Budget Office estimates the cost of legislation over a 10-year period. These estimates can be misleading because many pieces of legislation start out by costing relatively little but end up costing huge amounts in the long-term. By looking at the 40-year cost of legislation instead of the 10-year cost, we can get a much clearer view of a bill's true cost and the effect it will have on the debt. Our budget also makes economic growth a priority. Almost 6 years after the recession ended, millions of Americans are still struggling and opportunities for advancement are still few and far between. A big reason for that is the oppressive, big government policies and deficit spending of the Obama administration. Our budget would help get the government off the back of the economy by limiting the growth of spending and reducing the debt. On the jobs front, the Senate Republicans' budget would pave the way for the removal of inefficient and ineffective government regulations that are making it difficult and expensive for many businesses to hire new workers and create new opportunities. Our budget also lays the groundwork for an overhaul of our outdated Tax Code, which needs to be reformed to lessen the tax burden facing families and to encourage businesses to create American jobs. Yesterday, we celebrated the fifth anniversary of the President's budget-busting health care law. Five years on, the President's health care law has resulted in higher costs, lost health care plans, reduced access to doctors, and new burdens on businesses, large and small. The health care law's latest disasters include incorrect tax forms dispatched to nearly 1 million Americans and surprise tax bills for tens of thousands of households in this country. It is no surprise that according to a recent poll, over 60 percent of voters have an unfavorable view of the Democrats' signature law. Senate Republicans promised the American people we would do our best to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with real health care reform, and our budget provides the framework for that process to move forward. ObamaCare has failed to provide the health care solutions the President promised. It is time to replace this law with reforms that will actually make health care more affordable and accessible and that will not put government between patients and doctors. Finally, our budget would start the process of putting major entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare on a sounder footing going forward. Right now the Social Security trust fund is headed toward bankruptcy. If we do not take action, Social Security recipients could be facing a 25-percent cut in benefits in 2033. Medicare faces similar challenges to those faced by the Social Security Program. Under the worst-case scenario, the Medicare trust fund could become insolvent as early as in 2021. That is just 6 short years away. The Senate Republican budget would help preserve Medicare by extending the trust fund solvency by an additional 5 years, which would protect retiree benefits while giving policymakers additional time to ensure that this program provides support to seniors for decades to come. Our country is not in the best fiscal shape, but it is not too late to do something about it. Senate Republicans have proposed and produced a responsible budget that will fund our Nation's priorities while restraining spending growth and driving down our Nation's deficit. This budget will give the American people a more efficient, a more effective, and a more accountable government. I look forward to passing it this week and to getting our Nation back on the path to fiscal health, which starts with a balanced budget. We cannot continue down the path we are on. The American people deserve better. We should give them better. For the first time in most of the years I have been here, we are actually going to have a budget on the floor of the Senate that balances in 10 years. That is something I think the American people who sit around their household and sit around their kitchen tables trying to make these hard decisions for themselves and their families--that is what they deserve and that is what they expect. That is what we are going to deliver. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.